Can anyone recommend a good car cover? The car is protected from the rain. I'm primarily interested in dust and UV protection.

 

Everyone will have their own opinion and favourite regarding covers and its been discussed on the forum before. I use the Noah by Covercraft. It's not cheap, but then you usually get what you pay for. It is a genuine custom fit for either Convertible or Coupe. Includes mirror pockets and four year warranty. Can be used indoors or outdoors. https://www.covercraft.com/us/en/pro...r-cover.C-CCNH

Never put a cover on a dirty car. It will lead to scratching, no matter how careful you are.




Cheers,

Stu

 

Thanks for the recommendation. My old one with the 10 year warranty is disintegrating after 3 years. It's leaving white crumbs all over the car.

 

There's lots of different materials each with its advantages and disadvantages. I have a crew cab pickup truck that sits outdoors under a carport and does not get driven much except for truck duty. I chose one of those silver coated materials because of its repellent nature. Even tho the truck is under a carport and doesn't get rained on, the neighborhood cats like to hop up on top of the truck (cats like to be up high - you can try to discourage them but anything short of inhumane treatment seems short-lived). I've had a cat puke on the silver cover and it just hosed right off. I've got another outdoor generic cover from Pep Boys that I use only occasionally, maybe a week out of each year, when a project takes up space in the garage and forces me to park a car outside temporarily. I don't know what material its called, but I'd describe it as being woven like a hospital gown only ten times thicker. That one has all sorts of stains on the outside because it seems to soak up anything that gets on it from tree sap to bird ****. Nothing gets all the way through to the lining, but it sure looks awful and kind of makes you not even want to handle it. My indoor covers can be taken to the laundromat and washed but the outdoor covers say not to so you might want to research the cleaning instructions if that's a concern. As I said, the silver one you just leave it on the car and hose it off occasionally.

The custom-fitted covers also seem to stay on much better in the wind. For that alone, they are worth the extra cost.

Make sure to get one with a soft lining and as mentioned, never put the cover on a dusty/dirty car. The lining also seems to help the cover last longer and its thicker so it protects better from critter claws and careless humans. The downside is that my lined covers are very heavy and don't roll up very easy. I think it actually kind of discourages me driving my truck more often because its so hard to manhandle off and on again but the same cover for an XK8 would probably weigh a third to half as much. If its a daily thing, you might want to opt for a lighter weight cover and just plan on replacing it more often.

 

https://www.ebay.com/str/XtremeCoverPro/

try this manufacturer. they have two weights; i use the heavier one. even though the cover is quite heavy duty it is very easy to deploy and remove, 2 minutes. it has gone through two hurricanes and numerous wind storms and is like new. the car stays completely clean and dry for any amount of time, and it almost completely covers the tires. the interior of the cover is very nicely lined with the exception that a convertible top will get some lint from it. the only thing that i recommend is that you additionally tie the under-strap in addition to its buckle to make sure that it will not separate. on our cars the easy fold method is to flip up the sides until they meet and then roll fold from whatever end of the car is convenient. then fold in half for easy storage. i have never attempted to wash it, but the outer layer seems to stay clean. they have silver and black exterior colors.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

05xk8cfe,
Hello fellow CFE. I can't remember the name, ( an old man thing) but I purchased mine from PepBoys----their top of the line covers------and have been pleased for at least 3 years.
I don't use it for outside covering, so can't comment on that aspect, but in the shop or under the car port. Has done an excellent job. Easy on and off once you learn how.
Unsnap the under car tie down, fold up each side to center of car, bring both sides together as close to possible on top of car-hood and trunk--(sorry for the non English speak), then starting at trunk, roll it up pulling it towards you as you go, until you have it rolled up. Should be size that will fit into bag--depending how tight you roll it. That way when you go to put it back on, the little "Front" tag is easley seen so you'll know where to start, then unroll it on the car, from front, up and over top to back. Then unfold side, stretch ends over front and rear, snap under car strap back together and go have a beer.

Cheers

 

I've had my 2005 XK8 Convertible since early in 2006. My parking space is under a tree with sap, sticks, bird droppings, pollen, etc and of course, rain and snow in season. I have had three car covers - Block-It Evolution, Noah and presently UltraTect.

The Block-IT and Noah covers worked well, but were chewed to pieces by the squirrels or birds. Whichever it was liked to pick at the fuzzy padding on the underside of the cover next to the painted surface or the convertible top.

I now have an UltraTect cover by Covercraft. It has been much more durable but does not have the layer of padding next to the painted surface. The unpadded sewn seams allow dust and pollen to get through.

This is distinctly a problem when rain comes after the dust or pollen. Streaks of pollen or dust are left on the painted surface of my car. I wish the manufacturer would put some padding under those seams.

 

I appreciate the recommendations. I park in a carport with western exposure, so I'm worried about the afternoon sun exposure as much as dust. I'm going to check these out and order one soon.